NOUN (1)

1. a spear with a shaft and barbed point for throwing; used for catching large fish or whales; a strong line is attached to it;


VERB (1)

1. spear with a harpoon;
- Example: "harpoon whales"

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Harpoon \Har*poon"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Harpooned
   (-p[=oo]nd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Harpooning.]
   To strike, catch, or kill with a harpoon.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Harpoon \Har*poon"\ (h[aum]r*p[=oo]n"), n. [F. harpon, LL.
   harpo, perh. of Ger. origin, fr. the harp; cf. F. harper to
   take and grasp strongly, harpe a dog's claw, harpin boathook
   (the sense of hook coming from the shape of the harp); but
   cf. also Gr. "a`rph the kite, sickle, and E. harpy. Cf.
   Harp.]
   A spear or javelin used to strike and kill large fish, as
   whales; a harping iron. It consists of a long shank, with a
   broad, flat, triangular head, sharpened at both edges, and is
   thrown by hand, or discharged from a gun.
   [1913 Webster]

   Harpoon fork, a kind of hayfork, consisting of a bar with
      hinged barbs at one end and a loop for a rope at the other
      end, used for lifting hay from the load by horse power.

   Harpoon gun, a gun used in the whale fishery for shooting
      the harpoon into a whale.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

harpoon
    n 1: a spear with a shaft and barbed point for throwing; used
         for catching large fish or whales; a strong line is
         attached to it
    v 1: spear with a harpoon; "harpoon whales"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

24 Moby Thesaurus words for "harpoon":
   bag, catch, enmesh, ensnare, entangle, entrap, foul, hook, land,
   lasso, mesh, nail, net, noose, rope, sack, snag, snare, sniggle,
   spear, take, tangle, tangle up with, trap